Stock feeding and adjusting device



Oct. 15, 1929. U E 1,731,537

STOCK FEEDING AND ADJUSTING DEVICE I Filed Feb. 1a, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Oct. 15', 1929'. A; R. KRAusE STOCK FEEDING AND ADJUSTING DEVICE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Feb. 18, 1927 @aterited Oct. 1' 15 1929 amp STATES P E T- OFFICE ennorn'n. witness, or EAU CLAIRE, wrsconsrrtgnssrenon r emnn'rrn RU BER comrm, or EAU CLAIRE, wrseonsm, A conronn'rron or WISCONSIN srocx FEEDING AND .anrusrme DEvIcti I Application filed February 18, 1927. Serial No. iearoz.

This invention relates to a stock feeding and adjusting device for feeding sticky and hard to handle material such as rubber from one machine to another.

5 It is an object of this invention to provide an improved conveyor for the purpose of handling tacky material and delivering the same into arestricted opening without liability of trouble due to-the material overlapping the margins of the openin' s and requiring a shut down to clear up t e tan le. In handling a tacky and elastic material ike raw rubber sheet stock on a conveyor, the end as it leaves the belt is apt to project outwardly beyond the desired point of delivery and miss the opening overlapping andtangling up. Also if the receptacle is nearly full the con-- tinued feeding of the stock causes it to loop .up over the rim' and it is accordingly an ob- A 0 ject of this invention to provide means to' cause downward feeding of the stock delivered from the conveyor.

It is also an object of this invention to pro-;

vide an'improved conveyor for feeding rubber stock from a mill to a forming or extruding machine, the conveyor being arranged to be adjustable, to be swun out of the way during the periods require for starting and mixing each batch of material-on an intermittentl operating mill.

Ot er and further important objects of this invention will be apparent from the disclosures in the drawings and specifications.

This invention .(in a prefenred form) is illustrated in thedrawings and hereinafter more fully described.

On the drawings p Figure 1 is a fragmentary plan view show ing part of a rubber mixing mill and part'of a tread stock 'extrpding machine with the device of this invention associated therewith.

Figure 2 is a section .on the line IIII of Figure 1. I

As shown on the drawings: I 1 The rubber mill shown comprises a pair'of rolls 1 0 rotating towards each other and spaced apart slightly to produce'a sheet of rubber 11 o'frthe esired thickness, the rubber .Lnstock 12 being lieaped up in the trough be- 69 tween the two rolls. The rolls are journal in suitable standards 13 and side boards 14: y

are fitted to prevent-the rubber stock from working off the ends of the rolls. A bar 15' carries a pair of knives 16 adapted to cut a narrow strip 17 from the center of the strip or sheet 11, the-side pieces 18 being carried up over the roll baclzto the rubber stock 12 where they are remixed therewith, thus continuously producing a new-sheet only the' center part of which is utilized in order to obtain thoroughly mixed stock. 1 The extrud-' ing'machine comprises a casing .19 having an I inlet port 20, thecasing containinga screw type conveyor .21 forcing the rubber sheets towards a tread stock forming die 22 which contains an 'openingof the desired outline to produce a finished raw tread stock 23 in continuous lengths.

As the rubber mill can only intermittently produce the strip 11, beca e of the time required for working up ea h batch before it is mixed suflicien'tly, I have produced a conveyor to-feed the strip into the extruding machine that can be swung up out of the way during the preliminary mixing period. The conveyor of this invention is mounted on a shaft 24 j ournaled' in a frame 25- bolted about the port 20 in the extruding machine, the shaft being "driven by a chain 26. A driving pulley 27 is mounted on this shaft and an idler or return pulley 28 is mounted at the outer end of a framework '30 pivoted to the shaft 24 an endless conveyor belt 31 running over t ese pulleys and being supported at intermediate points by a series of rollers 32 mounted along the framework. A supporting roller 33 is also provided beneath the framework to prevent too much sag in the return portion of the belt 31. A hold down roller 34 is provided above the feeding portion of the belt to assist the traction between the belt and the rubber strip .17 fedupwardly thereby.

As the rubber strip 17 would tend to loop out and fall outside the port 20 when starting up or if at any time the port should become partly filled, a downwardly feeding conveyor belt 35 is mounted 'over'the pulleys 36 and 37 in a vertical frame 38', the lower pulley-37 ed being driven by a crossed belt "39' from the shaft 24 to produce tlre-desired direcfifl oi belt movement.

, The framework 30 pivoted on the shaft 24: may loe raised out f't-hewafdrdowered into operating rope ll, swinging the framework 3011p permitting ready access to the knivesl?) to permit proper adjustment of the shegt of rubber and to manually handle the cut stripl'? when the mixing has been completed.

I am aware that many changes may be made and numerous details of construction may be varied through a wide rangewithout departing from the principles of this invention and I, therefore, do not purpose limiting the patent granted hereon, otherwise than necessitated by the prior art.

I claim as my invention:

1. In combination, a mill for forming'sheet material, an. extruding machine associated with said mill, a conveyor material to said machine from said mill, and guide means comprising an endless belt positioned adjacent the discharge end. of said conveyor and in the path of the sheet leaving the conveyor for altering the direction of movement of the sheet on the conveyor so as to prevent said sheet "from overrunning the inlet of the machine, is discharged directly into said inlet.-

2. In combination, a forming machine adapted to receive plastic sheet material, a conveyor for delivering sheet material to said machine, and guide means positioned adjacent the discharge end of said conveyor and inthe path of the sheet leaving the conveyor for altering the direction of movement of the sheet on the conveyor so as to prevent said sheet from overrunning the inlet of the machine, whereby the sheet is discharged directly into said inlet, said guide means comprising a substantially verticalendless belt having its side adjacent the discharge end of the conveyor substantially aligned with the inlet of said machine.

3. In combination, a mill for forming sheet material, an extruding machine associated with said mill, a conveyor for delivering sheet material to said machine from said mill, guide means positioned adjacent the discharge end of said conveyor and in leaving; the conveyor tion of movement the path of the sheet for altering the direcof the sheet on the conveyor so as to prevent said sheet from overrunn'ing,

the inlet of the machine, whereby the material 1s discharged directly into said inlet, and a pivotal mounting for the machine end of said conveyor for enabling said conveyor to be moved upwardly away from and clear of said mill when said machine is not in use.

l ntest mony whereof I have hereunto subscribed my name,

ARNOLD .n. KRAUSE.

position by means of a bail 40 and V for delivering sheet whereby the material 

